Refugees are people who’ve been forced to flee their homes due to persecution, war, violence, or famine. For many of us, we hear the word “refugee” and we immediately think of the most vulnerable individuals in the world – the boy on the beach in Syria or a starving child in a camp in Africa. But the word “refugee” means much more than that – it also represents strength, courage, and the human capacity to succeed. (Source: TheRefugeeCenter.org)

According to the UNHCR, there were 65 million forcibly displaced people around the world in 2015 and 21 million of those are refugees, including 10.9 million children.

Some 42,500 people per day flee their homes to seek protection within their own or other countries.

In just the last year, there have been 13.9 million newly displaced people.

In 2016 the US took in nearly 85,000 refugees – half of those from the Congo, Syria, and Burma.

Since Congress passed the Refugee Act of 1980, the US has resettled nearly 3 million people.

They leave because they have to – to survive. They come to new countries and face enormous challenges – economic insecurity, no or few possessions, language and cultural barriers, employment obstacles, education challenges.

Really, they are people, human beings – men, women and children – seeking freedom from oppression and persecution. In search of what we have. Like so many refugees, those who served as interpreters for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have been persecuted and threatened, and have now come here to start again. Help us show them that we know #FreedomMatters.